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Almost-3 weeks

It's been an eventful almost-3 weeks. (Of course, any almost-3 weeks with a baby is bound to be eventful.)

First, she had her 2 month appointment. My, has she grown! I mean, you can kinda tell in the photos, but... She was 12 lb 1 oz and 25" long! 90th+ percentile. She got some shots and boy, did she scream! It was kind of refreshing in a way. She's been such a quiet baby, not crying too much, so it was good to know that she could belt it out if she needed to. Scott was totally unnerved, poor guy. Me, I laughed and joked with the nurse. Because, well, it was an unavoidable situation, and there was nothing I could do, and if I didn't see the humor in the situation and stay objective, I'd probably be crying too.

The next couple of days Lily didn't feel so great, low grade fever, etc. Poor kid. Didn't sleep so well at night. And then there was the heat. She stayed up until 6 am several nights in a row, and drank often. Then we got a cool night and she slept through it, thank goodness. But it was all downhill from there.

After a couple of good nights it started up again, only this time, it was 8 am and nursing every 1.5-2 hours (I joked that she was getting ready for college, pulling all-nighters and drinking too much... but really, not so funny), sleeping no more than 30-60 minutes at a time and not falling asleep after nursing. The power of the boob was no more. She slept during the day, but that didn't help me at night. Nor was it enough for her, and she started getting baggy eyes. Babies should not have baggy eyes! Finally, after almost a week and no signs of improvement (and in fact, signs of it getting worse), I took her to the doctor to rule out any physical issues. She checked out perfectly healthy (and weighed 12 lb 12 oz!): her circadian rhythms are out of whack. So we stayed up a few hours more before crashing and by then she was so exhausted (as was I) that she (drumroll!) slept through the night! And she's been sleeping through the night since then (knock on wood).

But now, she's not napping during the day. And everything that used to work to get her to sleep before, not only does not work, it upsets her! Oy vey. I'm beginning to understand that, with babies, and probably children in general, you don't fix one problem without gaining a new one. That is, you trade in one set of trials for another, and it goes on, and on, and on... I don't quite have a working knowledge of this yet, as I believe that, once I do figure out how to get her to take more than one 60 minute nap between 8 am and 5 pm, I'll breathe a sigh of relief, pat myself on the back, and think I'll have some kind of respite. Newb.

Still, she's healthy, and pretty happy when she's not exhausted from the not napping (and when I'm not using the old going to sleep methods - so "last week"); I'm just shy of exhausted and mentally kaput; in short, welcome to motherhood!

(Oh yeah, did I mention I've been working from home part-time the last month? One word: challenging. Good bye, weekend, nice knowing ya.)

She's been getting good at batting the dangling toys on her bouncy seat:

and one day she started to grab them, too. Now she regularly holds "red bird" with one hand while knocking around "blue fish". She reached for her dolly, too:

It's amazing how they can suddenly do new things, isn't it?

Oh oh oh! And she laughed for the first time yesterday!

Supposedly this is a fiber blog, and there has been fiber activities going on. But I'm pooped. So I'll show you a glimpse of the finished cormo/alpaca and save the rest for "tomorrow":

Don't worry, once they learn to pick up toys and amuse themselves, it'll get much easier. My son was 8 months when he actually started sleeping through the night (like from 10 at night to 6 in the morning). Honestly, what I did when he was her age was started giving him cereal in a bottle. (Don't worry I cleared this with my doctor first and he said it was a good idea.) It was enough to fill him up so he could sleep a bit longer. Just a spoonful in a bottle was enough to satiate him for a couple hours actually. My sons problem was that he was so hungry all the time! I felt like I wasn't producing enough milk for him :D. He still needs his cereal at night right before bed or else he wakes up.

It'll get easier and before you know it, she'll be kicking you off the computer and talking about fashion! (My daughter is 4 and has mastered the barbie fashion show game.)

It is true that just when you figure out one issue a new one crops up. But the good news is that you get better (and faster) at figuring out the solutions. And you get nice rewards like laughter and smiles!

Yes, they keep you hopping! There's always a new problem - even when they get older! Hang in there.

And some babies aren't really "sleepers". My younger sister never slept much as a baby, and still doesn't. I, however, have always been a sleeper, and still am. Our mom likes to remind us that when I was 3 and my sister was newborn I slept more than she did!

If she's not napping, and going to bed at 5pm, then you need to go to bed no later than 6 or 7. Get some sleep. And when you start to get used to it, she'll change again.

Have you tried wearing her? Using a sling so she'll nap up against you? Worked for my son, though I know other kids who hate it. Worth a try.

The thing about trading one problem for another - It took me a bit to realize that too...drives me crazy! I think once you realize it it does get a bit easier, if only you know what to expect! Hang in there...

I totally know wha1 you mean, once you get breastfeeding down, teething issues start popping up, and so on and so on! I feel your pain on the nap thing, I was just able to start getting Robby to nap by himself, and for the past week he hasn't been napping well at all, and getting up 3-4 times a night as opposed to the 1-2 times. Sigh.... You guys look great, and all the little milestones make up for the lack of sleep :D

My first didn't take naps (unfortunately, he didn't sleep at night either). By 8 months I was exhausted and ready to rethink the whole stay-at-home thing. I finally heard about the Amby bed. www.ambybaby.com We thought about it for a while and found someone else that had one that thought it was great and decided to try it. My son who took maybe two naps a week and was constantly cranky suddenly took two naps a day. Since then two other friends have purchased them and liked them. I know it works better for some than others, but it is also a nice portable bed (it has it's own carrying bag) for traveling, even to take for a day trip so the baby has somewhere safe to nap, especially once they out grow the infant car seat. My second son has slept in it from birth and takes great naps and sleeps through the night. I don't sell these or anything - I just really like mine.

A little hint that worked wonders for my daughter. I nursed her through the shots at the suggestion of the nurse. They put the shots in their legs so it's easy for them to get to and the baby is relaxed from nursing so they don't tense as much. Also try and premedicate her with Tylenol before you take her. Most Peds recommend that. :)

Years ago I was the sleepless mom of a baby who wanted to nurse once an hour. My pediatrician suggested a little cereal at bedtime, just as Teresa said. It worked. While he was still gaining weight, the milk alone just wasn't enough to see him through the night. I hope you both get more rest.

It's kind of like a pendulum. One problem solved and it swings over to another. But they do get more fun (especially after they start smiling and laughing--they reward you). Sounds to me like she might be having a growth spurt, too. They do this every so often and if you can manage to nurse, the system will correct itself eventually. But it can be a tough couple of weeks with no sleep!

I also nursed for the shots and although they complained, they stopped right quick.

Hmmm..we went through that! Who am I kidding-he's six months old and we still have those nights! Warning: if you go away for the weekend to an exciting new place, the overstimulation will have the same effect. Up every hour or so to hit the boob....And just when I had finished telling my pals what a great sleeper he was. hah.

Second warning: beware of the more 'mobile' stage. He's not even crawling yet, but is finding hisd way into everything. Including my yarn baskets. So far, he seems to favor wool in shades of dark blue.....

Sounds like you've got mommyhood down pat. I also second the growth spurt. I feel your pain on the no nap thing during the day. It is always a trade off in one shape or another. But glad she's at least sleeping at night consistently, because that means you are too! Hang in there. You're doing a terrific job! Love your spun up Cormo/ Alpaca btw! Mine will be back at the end of August from Morro.

She's a doll. I'm sorry she's not sleeping. My son didn't sleep thru the night until 10 months. He even was up 4-6 times a night at 8 months old. Every baby is different and every 2-3 weeks they're a new baby. You're so right about them gaining a problem when they fix another.

I think they like you to get a little comfy with one thing and then they throw you a curve ball. They must get a leaflet on this at birth. I don't know any kid that never throws curve balls.

Sorry she didn't like her shots. I always have the Tylenol on hand for shots. She sounds nice and healthy too! Good job mom!!

A little late in the game for commenting (been busy with mine own restless sleeper and getter sicker!) but the one thing you can count on is change - sleep good, sleep bad, feel good, feel bad, they like to keep us on our toes, thats for sure! Hope things are settling down.